National Day (Singapore)
The National Day of Singapore is celebrated every year on August 9, in commemoration of Singapore's independence from Malaysia in 1965. This holiday features a National Day Parade, an address by the Prime Minister of Singapore, and fireworks celebrations. National Day Parade The Singapore National Day Parade is a national ceremony that is usually held at The Float @ Marina Bay, the National Stadium at the Singapore Sports Hub, or the Padang. It was first held at The Float @ Marina Bay in 2007, and it was first held at the Singapore Sports Hub in 2016. This parade includes shows and dances that depict Singapore’s history and daily life. National Day Message The National Day Message is an annual tradition since 1966. In each year's recorded message, the Prime Minister of Singapore "examines domestic and global developments, reviews economic performance and outlook, and outlines national priorities and government plans as inspires Singaporeans to move forward with a unified sense of purpose". *2007 - National Library Building *2008 - Istana *2009 - Marina Bay Floating Platform *2010 - 50th floor of The Pinnacle @ Duxton *2011 - Toa Payoh HDB flats *2012 - Bishan Park *2013 - SAFRA Toa Payoh *2014 - Alexandra Park Connector, Tanglin Road *2015 - Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall *2016 - SAFRA Punggol *2017 - Marina Bay East Gardens *2018 - Kampung Admiralty *2019 - Jewel Changi Airport For the Chinese translations, Wong Kan Seng was replaced by Lim Swee Say from 2011 to 2016, and then was replaced by Chan Chun Sing from 2016 to 2018, before being replaced by Heng Swee Keat in 2019. For the Tamil translations, K Shanmugam was replaced by S Iswaran since 2014. Before K Shanmugam went on board in 2008, it was S Jayakumar. For the Malay translations, Yaacob Ibrahim was replaced by Masagos Zulkilfi since 2018. National Day Rally On the 2nd/3rd Sunday after the National Day, the Prime Minister of Singapore makes an annual address to the nation, called the National Day Rally. A yearly event since 1966, the Prime Minister uses this rally to address the nation on its key challenges and its future directions, and can be compared to the State of the Union Address delivered by the President of the United States. Prior to 2005, the rally was a continuous speech from 8 pm (SST). From 2005, the Malay and Chinese versions were delivered at 6.45 pm with a break at 7.30 pm while the English version was delivered at 8 pm. Opposition MPs have been invited to the rally since 2007 Singapore Fireworks Celebrations National Day celebrations also include fireworks celebrations. They feature several local and foreign teams which launch fireworks displays on different nights. First held in 2004 at Marina Bay, the event was initially known as the Singapore Fireworks Festival and organised by Unusual Productions. The amount of fireworks used has grown in magnitude over the past three years, from 4,000 rounds used in 2004 to over 9,000 in 2006. In 2012, a Mentos commercial encouraged procreation during the same time as the fireworks celebration. See also *List of Singaporean patriotic songs References Category:Events in Singapore Singapore Category:August observances Category:Annual events in Singapore Category:Public holidays in Singapore Category:Fixed holidays